Hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal education grants will resume flowing to Lawrence Public Schools following a reversal of a previous Trump administration decision to freeze the grants.
The Trump administration on Friday announced it was releasing billions of dollars in federal education grants. It had frozen the grants to review the spending and ensure it aligned with the White House’s priorities.
Lawrence Public Schools estimated the district could have lost more than $468,000 because of the freeze. Swift and then-school board President Kelly Jones condemned the freeze earlier this month, arguing students didn’t have time to freeze their education.
About two-thirds of the now-released funds will support recruitment, training and retention of staff. Plus, about $159,000 will now flow to support English language learners and programs and activities aimed at enhancing student success and well-being.
School board President GR Gordon-Ross said the grants make a real impact, and the district had felt uncertainty around the freeze.
“I’m grateful that the freeze has been lifted and hope we can now focus on delivering the support our students and staff need without further disruption,” he said.
Jones called the freeze on federal grants reckless and thanked the advocates who “righted the federal government’s misconduct.”
“Public schools — especially those in under-resourced communities — depend on these funds to operate effectively,” she said. “Congressionally approved federal education dollars must flow without obstruction or threat of being used as political collateral. That funding exists to promote equity, address disparities and ensure a baseline of opportunity for all children.”
The district did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since April 2022, is a student at the University of Kansas School of Journalism. He is a graduate of Lawrence High School where he was the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Budget, and was named the 2022 Kansas High School Journalist of the Year. Read his complete bio here. Read more of his work for the Times here.
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